Views from the cheap seats (and the pricey ones too)…

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Pablo Sandoval crosses the plate after one of his record-tying three home runs in a World Series game. (DAVID J. PHILLIP/AP)

I was lucky enough to be at Game One of the 2010 World Series, when the mood outside the ballpark before the game was just amazing. Palpable excitement about a team that had survived its division race on the final day of the season and then rolled through the playoffs. This year was a bit different…this team did the opposite, rolling to a division title over the last couple months of the season but then needing miraculous comebacks to win both playoff rounds. There was less hyperactivity outside the park for Game One this year, at least before the game, but that all changed once everyone was inside and gametime approached.

Thankfully, after the 9th inning monsoon in Game Seven of the NLCS, the weather was perfect…a cool, crisp fall day in the City by the Bay. Continue reading →

As the FOX commentators droned on toward the end of Game 6 of the NLCS about how “there’s nothing like a Game 7 in all of sports,” one of my happiest thoughts was that I’d get to enjoy Game 7 without Joe Buck repeatedly touting the Sunday NFL broadcast schedule or Tim McCarver butchering historical facts like how Willie McCovey fared in his debut game (It was 1959, not ’58, and he didn’t hit three triples in that game. He went 4-for-4 with two triples and two singles against Robin Roberts. Any dyed-in-the-wool Giants fan knows this and so much more that the national broadcasters fail to recognize. And that’s true for fans of any team…these guys need to do their homework before they start throwing out historical anecdotes.).

Anyway, enough about MLB on FOX. I grabbed tickets for Game 7 while Ryan Vogelsong was throttling the Cards in Game 6. Despite some pre-game raindrops and a veritable downpour in the ninth inning, Marco Scutaro caught that final popup and my daughter and I got to enjoy one of the great moments in San Francisco Giants history in person…the 2012 National League pennant. On to the World Series!

A few scenes from the day, thanks to my trusty iPhone:

Fireworks above, celebration below as the Giants win the pennant

Not many people left during the downpour in the 9th inning. It was worth getting soaked to see the Giants clinch.

What was a mist earlier became a true downpour in the 9th inning…but the game continued for those final couple outs.

The crowd got revved up all over again as the 8th inning ended and we entered the 9th.

Orange October is one of the themes this post-season – and it came to life during Game 7.

Matt Cain delivers the first pitch of Game 7…a strike.

The National Anthem was beautifully sung by Susan Tedeschi as a huge flag in the shape of the continental U.S. was on display in center field.

Buster Posey stretched in solitude as the shadows approached.

There’s something about fall sunlight at a ballpark that’s just different than any other time of year.

Fall shadows crept across the field as gametime approached.

Will Clark, hero of the 1989 NLCS, was chatting up fans near the dugout before the game.

It was blue skies and puffy white clouds as the game started. That changed a whole lot by the 9th inning.

A pre-game meal at Pete’s Tavern included the Western Burger (and a couple beers on tap of course). Thick-cut maplewood bacon, a tempura battered onion ring, barbecue sauce, and cheddar cheese atop a 1/2 lb. burger made for an excellent meal. Great curly fries too!

The sun was shining 90 minutes before gametime.

After coming across the Bay Bridge, seeing signs for the ballpark is always a welcome sight.